Online Safeguarding & Behaviour Code
Safeguarding statement:
We believe everyone has a responsibility to safeguard and protect children (anyone under 18)
We will take all necessary steps to ensure children are safe at all times and we will encourage the prevention of child abuse through following safe working practices and adhering to published rules and guidelines in Keeping Children Safe in Education (2023).
Rationale:
The online behaviour code aims to help us protect children and young people from abuse and reduce the possibility of unfounded allegations being made.
The code is also intended to make sure everyone has the opportunity to participate safely and without abuse.
Duty of Care:
Cheryl Stapleton, operating as Learning Through Theatre, is acting in a position of authority and has a duty of care towards the children and young people we work with. We commit to having a good awareness of issues to do with safeguarding and child protection and will take prompt action when appropriate. Cheryl has had an enhanced DBS check, has undertaken Prevent Duty training, FGM training and is safeguarding and child protection training. She recently retired as a safeguarding school governor and so fully understands her responsibilities and her duty of care.
Safeguarding:
Where children (under 18) are involved, the meeting leader will ask for an appropriate adult to acknowledge their presence (verbally or visually) at the start of the session, at each remote location for each child.
This appropriate adult does not have to be in the same room throughout but should be within sight / hearing for each child at each remote location for the purpose of safeguarding all participants and the meeting leader. Confirmation of this will also be asked for at the start of the meeting.
Where children are joining as an activity with an educational establishment, a teacher from the establishment should be present throughout (audio and video can be disabled for this).
Children should only be contacted and invited to the live meeting by their teacher or parent/carer. Learning Through Theatre will at no point contact children, nor hold any personal data about them beyond what is essential for carrying out the workshop activity.
The meeting leader will not share personal contact details, including personal social media details.
The responsible adult will be asked to change the onscreen name to the child’s first name only to aid communication, but no further personal information will be shared onscreen.
The meeting leader will record the meeting so that if any issues were to arise, the video can be reviewed. The video will be deleted after 7 days so long as no issues arise.
In an emergency situation, the responsible adult should take immediate responsibility for the situation for their child, but if, for any reason, this adult cannot or will not do this, the teacher of that child must contact the school designated safeguarding lead and follow child protection procedures for their school/institution. Where no educational establishment is involved (i.e. children have been independently signed up by a parent/guardian), Learning Through Theatre will request emergency contact details ahead of the workshop, only to be used in the event of an emergency.
If the meeting leader feels that a child is in immediate danger, the emergency services will be called.
Behaviour Code
By taking part in an online meeting, we ask that you agree to abide by this Behaviour Code. Learning Through Theatre is responsible for making sure everyone taking part in our services has seen, understood and agreed to follow the code of behaviour, and that they understand the consequences of inappropriate behaviour.
‘We’ refers to all those taking part in an online meeting and where the participant is a child (under 18) the ‘we’ includes the person with parental responsibility for the child – this may be the teacher acting in loco parentis if the teacher is inviting a pupil to the meeting.
Expected Behaviour
At the start of any live meeting/class, the meeting leader will verbally set appropriate boundaries in terms of behaviour and language and over familiarity with participants will be avoided. Some preparation may be needed before the meeting so that the following can be adhered to:
Participants have the choice to join the meeting with audio only or with video as well.
All participants must wear suitable clothing, as should anyone else in the household who may be in the room at any point during the meeting.
Devices used should be set up in appropriate areas, (i.e. preferably not bedrooms); and the background should be a plain wall or a neutral virtual background so that no personal information or images can be displayed. If this cannot be achieved, participants may be asked to turn their video off if the meeting leader deems it more appropriate.
Language must be professional and appropriate at all times, including any family members in the background.
Our Joint Responsibility
We commit to:
prioritising the welfare of children and young people at all times
providing a safe online environment for children and young people
ensuring equipment is used safely and for its intended purpose
staying within the law at all times
modelling good behaviour for all to follow
challenging all unacceptable behaviour and reporting any breaches of the behaviour code to the designated safeguarding lead at their school/institution
reporting all concerns about abusive behaviour to the designated safeguarding lead at their school/institution
Our Rights
We will:
treat each other fairly and without prejudice or discrimination
understand that we are all individuals with individual needs
respect differences in gender, sexual orientation, culture, race, ethnicity, disability and religious belief systems, and appreciate that all participants bring something valuable and different to the meeting
challenge discrimination and prejudice
encourage everyone to speak out about attitudes or behaviour that makes them uncomfortable.
We have the right to turn our video off and move to audio interaction only.
Relationships
We will:
promote relationships that are based on openness, honesty, trust and respect
avoid favouritism
be patient with others
exercise caution when discussing sensitive issues
Respect
We will:
listen to and respect each other at all times
value and take everyone’s contributions seriously, actively involving them in activities wherever possible
respect everyone’s right to personal privacy as far as possible
If a teacher or the meeting leader need to break confidentiality in order to follow child protection procedures, this will be explained to the child or young person at the earliest opportunity.
Unacceptable behaviour
We will NOT:
allow concerns or allegations to go unreported
take unnecessary risks
smoke, consume alcohol or use illegal substances
make inappropriate promises to children and young people
engage in behaviour that is in any way abusive
use language or show behaviour that is discriminatory against others on the grounds of gender, race, colour, nationality, disability, cognitive ability, ethnic or national origins, class, marital status, social status, sexual orientation, gender re-assignment, age, trade union activity, cultural, political or religious belief
act in a way that can be perceived as threatening or intrusive
patronise or belittle others
make sarcastic, insensitive, derogatory or sexually suggestive comments or gestures
In addition to this, the meeting leader will not:
develop inappropriate relationships with children and young people
let children and young people have personal contact details (mobile number, email or postal address) or have contact via a personal social media account
Upholding this code of behaviour
By verbal agreement at the start of the live virtual meeting, we agree to follow this code of behaviour. Anyone who is deemed to have behaved inappropriately will be subject to disciplinary procedures. Depending on the seriousness of the situation, you may be asked to leave the meeting. We may also make a report to statutory agencies such as the police and/or the local authority child protection services.
Nominated Safeguarding Lead:
Cheryl Stapleton, Artistic Director, info@learningthroughtheatre.co.uk
Policy Last Reviewed: Feb 21 2024